Cleat cleaner

ABSTRACT

A shoe cleat cleaner comprises an inclined, hollow base having a plurality of inclined axles held by the base, each of the axles inclined at an angle between 20* and 30* from right angles between the two sides of the base wherein one axle is inclined from one side of the base and the other axle is inclined from the opposite side of the base, and a plurality of rotatable cleaning members on each axle, the cleaning members being preferably emery dressing wheels but which may also be wire brush wheels, the cleaning members extending above the top of the base and spaced from one other and each cleaning member adapted to wobble on the axle and rotate thereon.

United States Patent 1191 Curtis Feb. 5, 1974 CLEAT CLEANER 2,857,607 10/1958 South 15/161 x 76 I t G 1d C rt 88 G nven of BS2303, T:X 3 [en Loch Primary Examiner-Leon G. Machlln [22] Filed: Mar. 10, 1972 ABSTRACT 52 us. (:1 15/237, 15/112, 15/105, 15/161 [51] Int. Cl A471 23/26 [58] Field of Search..... 15/237, 161, 112, 113, 105, 15/236, 104, 238, 241, 239, 216, 36, 4, 3

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,309,729 3/1967 Dresser 15/236 NO 410,556 9/1889 Myers 15/238 372,225 10/1887 Kelly 15/238 1,089,600 3/1914 Streeton 15/237 UX A shoe cleat cleaner comprises an inclined, hollow base having a plurality of inclined axles held by the base, each of the axles inclined at an angle between 20 and 30 from right angles between the two sides of the base wherein one axle is inclined from one side of the base and the other axle is inclined from the opposite side of the base, and a plurality of rotatable cleaning members on each axle, the cleaning members being preferably emery dressing wheels but which may also be wire brush wheels, the cleaning members extending above the top of the base and spaced from one other and each cleaning member adapted to wobble on the axle and rotate thereon.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures Patented Feb. 5, 1974 3,789,453

2 Sheets-Shet 1 Patented Feb. 5, 1914 3,789,453

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 CLEAT CLEANER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is directed to a shoe cleat cleaner for removing debris, mud, sand, leaves and the like from the bottom of a shoe having cleats, preferably a golf shoe. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a shoe cleat cleaner which comprises an inclined, hollow base, a plurality of inclined axles held by said base, and a plurality of rotatable cleaning members which extend above the top of the base and spaced one from another, each member adapted to wobble on said axle and rotate thereon.

2. Prior Art The following US. Pat. were uncovered in a search:

ll4,8473,028,6l7

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a shoe cleat cleaner and more particularly, to a device for cleaning golf shoes. The device comprises an inclined, hollow base, a plurality of inclined axles, and a plurality of rotatable cleaning members on each axle. The inclined, hollow base is preferably a cast single piece which is made up of a heel portion which is lower than the toe portion which is raised. In the hollowed out portion of the base, there are a plurality of pairs of support means for a plurality of axles. In the preferred embodiment, the bottom of the base has openings therein wherein the dirt and debris removed from the bottom of a golf shoe or the like, may fall through the base. The base may include wing members extending from either side at the toe portion for scraping the instep of any mud or debris or which may be used to scrape the sides of the shoe. A plurality of axles are connected to the sides of the base and are inclined from a right angle at angles between 20 and 30, preferably 25. The incline of one axle is from one side of the base whereas the next is inclined from the opposite side of the base in a stair-step fashion. The axles hold a plurality of rotatable cleaning members which have a larger opening in the members than the outside diameter of the axle so that the cleaning members may wobble on the axle and rotate thereon. The cleaning members each have finger members either as a plurality of spikes when emery dressing wheels are used or as wires when wire brush wheels are used. Preferred cleaning members are emery dressing wheels.

7 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of the cleat cleaner device of the present invention illustrating the inclined, hollow base with the plurality of rotatable cleaning members extending above the base;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the cleat cleaner device of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a detailed and cross-section of one axle illustrating the plurality of cleaning members and spacers; and

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the cast, one piece inclined, hollow base of the shoe cleat cleaner device of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, the shoe cleat cleaner device of the present invention has a base which is inclined by a short leg member 11 at the heel portion of the base and longer leg members 12 and 13 extending from the bottom of the base 10 at the toe portion and one on either side thereof. Wing members 14 and 15 extend from either side of the base at the toe portion to provide an upwardly extending thin bevelled surface 16 and 17, respectively, to provide a surface for scraping out the instep of the shoe or the side surfaces of the shoe to remove any mud or debris thereon.

As seen more completely in FIG. 4, the base 10 is hollowed out between two sides 18 and 19 of the base 10. The hollowed out space 20 of the base 10 extends between the two sides 18 and 19 to a bottom 21 which may have a plurality of openings therein, such a opening 22 and 23. Base 10 is preferably a single piece which has been cast to give uniformity to the device.

The base 10 has a plurality of axle support means 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29 positioned along the sides 18 and 19 within the hollowed out space 20. The axle support means 24 29 in the preferred embodiment are simply additional metal in the configuration as shown in FIG. 4. To provide the support for an axle, a hole in the diameter of the axle is drilled from one side of the base 10 through one side, such as side 18 into the axle support means on the opposite side sufficiently to hold the axle. For example, in the pairs of axle support means 24 25, 26 27 and 28 29, a hole is drilled from side 18 to form the openings 30, 31 and 32, respectively, as

shown in FIG. 1. The drilling is continued to the opposite side 19 where openings of sufficient depth to hold the axle are formed and in addition, openings of smaller diameter such as openings 33, 34 and 35 are formed by the guide of the drill bit. The relative size of the openings can be seen more distinctly in FIG. 3 showing a cross-section of the axle. A drill bit having at least the size of the outside diameter of the axle is used to drill through side 18 into axle holding means 24 across to the axle holding means in side 19. The small opening 33 is an opening formed by the guide means on the bit used.

Axles 36, 37 and 38, respectively, are inserted through the openings 30, 31 and 32, respectively, wherein they are held by the pairs of axle holding means 24 25, 26 27 and 28 29, respectively. The axle 36 is inclined from a right angle from the side 18 by an angle between 20 and preferably 25 whereas the axle 37 is inclined at an angle between 20 and 30 from a right angle from side 19. The axle 38 is also inclined at an angle between 20 and 30 but again from side 18 so that the axles are in a stair step configuration. Each are preferably inclined from the right angle by an angle of 25. As shown in FIG. 3, the angle 0 is illustrated as that angle at which the axle is inclined. The axle 36 is held in place by a pin 39, more easily seen in FIG. 3, and likewise axle 37 is held by pin 40 and axle 38 by pin 41 in the base 10 as seen in FIG. 1.

A plurality of rotatable cleaning members 42 are on each of the axles 36, 37 and 38. The rotatable cleaning members are wheels which are spaced from each other by spacer 43. As the axles 36, 37 and 38 are inserted through the openings 30, 31 and 32, respectively, the cleaning members 42 and spacers 43 are placed on the axles alternately as shown in FIG. 2 except no spacer is required at either end of the axle. The rotatable cleaning members 42 as pointed out above, are preferamy wheels which have a larger opening in the members than the outside diameter of the axle. As seen in FIG. 3, the axle 39 may have an outside diameter of k inch, for example, whereas the openings in the member 42 would then be about it; of an inch. The spacer 43, while being of sufficient size to keep the individual wheels 42 spaced from one another, do not fill up the entire axle so that the individual wheels may cant or twist to a position almost parallel to the sides to a position where the wheels are at an angle of about 45 to the sides. This ability of the wheels 42 to cant or twist or more specifically, wobble on the axle enhances their ability to clean the cleats. A preferred wheel is an emery dressing wheel 44 which has a plurality of spikes 45 extending from a central wheel portion 46. Because of the hardness of the metal used in an emery dressing wheel, such wheel will provide long life as well as the ability to withstand the pressure of the foot upon the cleat cleaner device of the present invention. Other wheels useful as cleaning members 42 may be wire brush wheels such as brush wheel 47, however, since a wire brush wheel would not support the shoe, it is desired to use a minority of such wheels 47. If used, the wire brush wheels 47 would be spaced randomly on the axles only to remove the smaller particles such as sand from the bottom of a shoe. In a preferred embodiment, the device would be made with all emery dressing wheels 44.

It has been found that for ease of using the device of the present invention, the base may be raised by leg 48 and legs 49 mounted in a concrete block 50. The devices may be placed in appropriate locations such as on the approach to the first green or around drinking fountains or near the club house for a golfer to remove the mud, leaves and other debris from his shoes. The user places one shoe onto the cleaning members 42, which supports the shoe since preferably the cleaning members are emery dressing wheels 44, and then moves the shoe up and down from theheel portion to the toe portion of the base 10 over the cleaning member 42. The debris is then removed from the bottom of the shoe. According to the present invention, the cleat, especially on a golf shoe, rides on the cleaning wheels, and because of the ability of the wheels to wobble, allows the shoe to be moved back and forth cleaning the debris from the bottom thereof without hanging up the cleats. It has been found that the device of the present invention may take heavy abuse by kicking, moving the shoe back and forth very vigorously without any essential wear as compared to the substantial wear of brushes presently used to remove debris from cleated shoes such as golf shoes. The rotating action of the wheels not only removes the debris from the bottom thereof but forces the debris through the openings in the bottom of the base 10 and ejects the debris outwardly away from the wheels so that the device may be used repeatedly.

The nature and object of the present invention having been completely described and illustrated and the best mode thereof contemplated set forth, what I wish to claim as new and useful and secure by Letters Patent l. A shoe cleat cleaner which comprises a base having two sides which extend upward forming a hollow cavity between,

a plurality of inclined axles extending between said two sides of said base; and

a plurality of rotatable cleaning members on each axle which extend above the top of said sides of said base and are spaced from one another, said members adapted to wobble on said axle and rotate thereon, whereby a shoe having cleats may be cleaned by contacting said rotatable cleaning members.

2. A shoe cleat cleaner accoding to claim 1 wherein a majority of said cleaning members are wheels having a plurality of spikes extending from a central wheel portion. A

3. A shoe cleat cleaner according to claim 1 wherein some of said cleaning members are wire brush wheels.

4. A shoe cleat cleaner according to claim 1 wherein said inclined axles are inclined at an angle between 20 and 30 from a right angle between the sides of said base.

5. A shoe cleat according to claim 4 wherein one axle is inclined from one side of said base and the next axle is inclined from the opposite side of said base in a stairstep manner.

6. A shoe cleat cleaner according to claim 1 wherein said rotatable cleaning members are wheels having a plurality of spikes extending from a central wheel portion having an opening therein greater than the outside diameter of said axle to cause said members to wobble.

7. A shoe cleat cleaner according to claim 1 wherein spacers are positioned between the cleaning members on each axle.

8. A shoe cleat cleaner according to claim 1 including legs which extend from the legs at the bottom of the base to raise the base in an inclined plane.

9. A shoe cleat cleaner according to claim 1 wherein said axles are inclined from a right angle from the opposite side by an angle of 25 and in a stair-step manner, and said rotatable cleaning members are emery dressing wheels spaced from one another by spacers.

10. A shoe cleat cleaner according to claim 9 wherein some of said cleaner members are wire brush wheels. 

1. A shoe cleat cleaner which comprises a base having two sides which extend upward forming a hollow cavity between, a plurality of inclined axles extending between said two sides of said base; and a plurality of rotatable cleaning members on each axle which extend above the top of said sides of said base and are spaced from one another, said members adapted to wobble on said axle and rotate thereon, whereby a shoe having cleats may be cleaned by contacting said rotatable cleaning members.
 2. A shoe cleat cleaner accoding to claim 1 wherein a majority of said cleaning members are wheels having a plurality of spikes extending from a central wheel portion.
 3. A shoe cleat cleaner according to claim 1 wherein some of said cleaning members are wire brush wheels.
 4. A shoe cleat cleaner according To claim 1 wherein said inclined axles are inclined at an angle between 20* and 30* from a right angle between the sides of said base.
 5. A shoe cleat according to claim 4 wherein one axle is inclined from one side of said base and the next axle is inclined from the opposite side of said base in a stair-step manner.
 6. A shoe cleat cleaner according to claim 1 wherein said rotatable cleaning members are wheels having a plurality of spikes extending from a central wheel portion having an opening therein greater than the outside diameter of said axle to cause said members to wobble.
 7. A shoe cleat cleaner according to claim 1 wherein spacers are positioned between the cleaning members on each axle.
 8. A shoe cleat cleaner according to claim 1 including legs which extend from the legs at the bottom of the base to raise the base in an inclined plane.
 9. A shoe cleat cleaner according to claim 1 wherein said axles are inclined from a right angle from the opposite side by an angle of 25* and in a stair-step manner, and said rotatable cleaning members are emery dressing wheels spaced from one another by spacers.
 10. A shoe cleat cleaner according to claim 9 wherein some of said cleaner members are wire brush wheels. 